Our first ever ‘Inside..’ article is taking a look into the fantastic Cancer Research UK.
Within our Uplifted Community, we want to make sure we give back by supporting the funding of research, increasing awareness and finding out more about the fantastic charities that support so many of our inspirational, courageous and beautiful Uplifted women.
Each month, we will be looking into a different charity and finding out more about what they do and how we can all get involved. Our first campaign ‘Power of the Flower’ is focused on Ovarian Cancer and Endometriosis. I reached out to Cancer Research UK because I wanted to find out about their initiatives and any advancements in research as a result of ever more important funding.
The statistics for Cancer have devastatingly changed to 1 in 2 of us will get the dreaded C-word in our lifetime.
But Joshua Gill from Cancer Research UK, says the charity has made some incredible breakthroughs over the past few decades which are important for you to know.
“We are well on the way to achieving our target of 3 in 4 people surviving Cancer by 10 years or more by 2034.”
Joshua Gill, Cancer Research UK
Other BIG breakthroughs include:
HPV Vaccine
Research funded by Cancer Research UK shows for the first time that the UK HPV vaccine programme works and will save lives. The vaccine is shown to reduce Cervical Cancer rates dramatically, in fact by almost 90% of women in their twenties who were offered it aged 12 and 13. You can read more about the HPV vaccine in ‘Should my daughter get the HPV vaccine?’ and on the NHS website.
Photo by Mufid Majnun. Sourced from Unsplash.
Radiotherapy Research
Joshua explained how RadNet (Cancer Research UK’s Radiation Research Network) unites seven Centres of Excellence across the country with the aim of making radiotherapy more precise, tailored to the patient, and more effective than ever before!
“We have committed £56 million through RadNet to accelerate the development of advanced and pioneering radiotherapy techniques.”
Reducing Hearing Loss In Children After Treatment
They have taken a major step towards reducing side effects from treatment. A new drug can almost halve hearing loss in children following chemotherapy for liver cancer.
The SIOPEL-6 trial finds that children who are given a drug called Sodium Thiosulphate after chemotherapy treatment using cisplatin can substantially reduce hearing loss.”This marks great progress towards minimising the number of children who have long-term side effects after cancer treatment, and could change the way some patients are treated in the future,” says the Cancer Research UK representative.
You can read all about the SIOPEL-6 clinical trial on their website.
The Impact Of COVID-19 On The Charity
However, whilst celebrating this and the fantastic breakthroughs the charity has had, charities as a whole have been hit hard due to COVID-19. During our launch month, we have taken on the Walk All Over Cancer challenge, and are getting those steps in to raise money for research into Ovarian Cancer as part of our ‘Power of the Flower’ campaign. We individually share personal reasons for wanting to get involved and support the charity.
Cancer Research UK has some brilliant fundraising ideas for you, both active and non-active, so take a look at how you can get involved.
Support and Other Services
Image sourced from Unsplash
Cancer Chat Forum
Image sourced from Unsplash
Whether you’ve been affected by cancer, have cancer, or you’re a family member or friend of someone with cancer, it can be valuable to talk to someone who has experienced something similar. Cancer Chat is there for you!
The Nurse Helpline
0808 800 4040
A confidential service for anyone who has been affected by cancer, including their friends and family. If you’ve got questions, it is easy to call our nurses on freephone. You can also submit questions online if you cannot call. They aim to respond between 3-5 working days.
